Little A C, Jones B C, Penton-Voak I S, Burt D M, Perrett D I
School of Psychology, University of St Andrews, Fife KY16 9JU, UK.
Proc Biol Sci. 2002 Jun 7;269(1496):1095-100. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2002.1984.
Secondary sexual characteristics may indicate quality of the immune system and therefore a preference for masculinity may confer genetic benefits to offspring; however, high masculinity may be associated with costs of decreased paternal investment. The current study examined women's preferences for masculinity in male faces by using computer graphics to allow transformation between feminine and masculine versions of individual male faces. We found that preferences for masculinity are increased when women either have a partner or are considering a short-term relationship. Such preferences are potentially adaptive, serving to: (i) maximize parental investment and cooperation in long-term relationships by biasing choices towards feminine faced males, and (ii) maximize possible good-gene benefits of short-term or extra-pair partners by biasing choices towards masculine faced males. We also found that individuals using oral contraception do not show the above effects, indicating that such hormonal intervention potentially disrupts women's choices for evolutionarily relevant benefits from males.
第二性征可能表明免疫系统的质量，因此对阳刚之气的偏好可能会给后代带来基因益处；然而，高度的阳刚之气可能与父方投资减少的代价有关。当前的研究通过使用计算机图形技术来实现个体男性面孔从女性化版本到男性化版本的转变，从而检验了女性对男性面孔阳刚之气的偏好。我们发现，当女性有伴侣或者正在考虑短期关系时，对阳刚之气的偏好会增强。这种偏好可能具有适应性，其作用在于：（i）通过偏向选择面部较为女性化的男性，在长期关系中使亲代投资和合作最大化；（ii）通过偏向选择面部较为男性化的男性，在短期或婚外伴侣关系中使可能的优良基因益处最大化。我们还发现，使用口服避孕药的个体并未表现出上述效应，这表明这种激素干预可能会扰乱女性从男性那里获取进化相关益处的选择。
